Department for Transport

Transport: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding has been allocated to improve local transport infrastructure in Easington constituency in each of the next five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Easington constituency in County Durham is in the area covered by the North East Combined Authority and North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). The Combined Authority receives annual capital allocations for Highways Maintenance and Integrated Transport and it is for the Combined Authority and Durham County Council to decide how much of this funding is spent in Easington Constituency. The North East LEP has been awarded Local Growth Funding for two schemes in the Easington constituency. The proposal to construct a new station at Horden has been allocated £3.3 million and the package of five junction improvements on the A1 and A19, which includes a scheme at the A19/A182 Seaham Murton Interchange, has been allocated £19.0 million.

Roads: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was spent on improving the road network in the Easington constituency in each of the last five years.

Andrew Jones: The maintenance of the local road network in Easington is the responsibility of Durham County Council, as local highway authority. The table below sets out how much funding the Department for Transport has allocated to the Council since 2012/13 financial year: £millionsFinancial Year2012/132013/142014/152015/162016/17Highway Maintenance Block10.67910.1329.78011.88610.897Incentive FundN/AN/AN/AN.A0.666Highway Maintenance Block Top UpN/A1.8361.007N/AN/AIntegrated Transport Block3.1833.1834.47513.94913.949Wet Weather PaymentsN/A1.242N/AN/AN/AFlood RecoveryN/AN/AN/A1.100N/APothole FundN/AN/A2.198N/A0.784Total 13.86216.39317.46026.93526.296 Local highway authorities are able to use revenue funding for maintaining their local highways and this is allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant. Durham County Council is part of the North East Combined Authority. From 2015/16 Integrated Transport Block Funding has been paid to the North East Combined Authority and Durham will receive a proportion of that funding.

Southeastern

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail has paid to Southeastern trains in compensation in the last (a) 12 months, (b) three years and (d) five years.

Claire Perry: This information is published on Network Rail’s website - http://www.networkrail.co.uk/transparency/datasets/ - covering the years 11-12 to 14-15.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the publication by HS2 Ltd, Broad options for upgraded and high speed railways to the North of England and Scotland, published in March 2016, whether the Government is planning to extend High Speed 2 beyond Manchester and Leeds.

Mr Robert Goodwill: When Phase One of HS2 opens in 2026, new HS2 trains will serve Manchester, north west England and Glasgow. When the full Y Network opens in 2033, the new HS2 route will extend to just south of Wigan and York and HS2 trains will then also serve Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh. The UK and Scottish Governments share an ultimate ambition for 3 hour journeys between London and Scotland’s central belt, but we recognise the further work needed to understand the benefits and business cases of different options.

Shipping: Lasers

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many incidents of laser pen attacks were recorded on ships in UK waters in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Her Majesty’s Coastguard does not routinely keep this information. However since January 2015, HM Coastguard has been notified of four incidents involving the use of laser pen attacks on ships in UK waters. HM Coastguard informs the police immediately so that they can consider appropriate action.

Railways: Public Holidays

David Mackintosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to limit the effect that engineering works on rail lines have on travel over long bank holidays.

Claire Perry: An independent review of how the rail industry plans and schedules major improvement work was carried out last year. The review concluded that Christmas, Easter and bank holidays were the best times to carry out upgrades requiring major line closures, particularly in and around London where the network is busiest and access for engineers is most difficult. Network Rail always looks to minimise the overall impact of these vital projects on passengers. As such, Network Rail and train operators are conscious that many people want to use the railway over holiday periods to reunite with their friends and families, so where possible they try to ensure the vast majority of services are kept running, as well as delivering passenger improvements on time. Network Rail will ensure around 96% of the network will be available during the next May bank holiday.

Crewe-Holyhead Railway Line: Electrification

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of electrifying the railway line from (a) Crewe to Chester and (b) Chester to Holyhead.

Claire Perry: We await the industry’s advice on future investment priorities for the England and Wales network in the next Control Period, building on the Wales and other Route Studies. We continue to work with the industry, the Welsh Government and local groups, including the recently announced North Wales and Mersey Dee Region Task Force, to see what more can be accomplished to deliver better journeys for passengers and freight customers in this corridor. We welcome the recent submission by the Welsh Government of their Strategic Outline Business Case for electrification from Crewe/Warrington to Holyhead as a contribution to this work.

Railways: Electrification

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average cost per mile of electrification of a railway line in the UK.

Claire Perry: The Department for Transport does not delineate the average cost per mile of electrification from the wider rail upgrade works that it funds in England and Wales. The Government’s commitment to a rolling programme of electrification is reliant on a wider set of enhancement works to make journeys better. This often includes track works, gauging, signalling upgrades, power supply works and station works to allow electric trains to run. The Department does not make an estimate of the average cost per mile of electrification as the engineering complexity and challenge varies significantly across England and Wales. Electrification works in Scotland are devolved to the Scottish Government. However, we are aware of the significant cost to the industry and the wider public of the failure of the Labour Governments of 1997 to 2010 to progress electrification schemes across the country. This Government is determined to rectify this failure.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether an impact assessment has been carried out on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Survey and Inspection Transformation Programme.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether an impact assessment has been carried out on the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's proposals to reduce the number of marine offices in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Guidance from Cabinet Office indicates that there is no requirement to complete a Business Engagement Assessment on this activity.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what dates the marine offices in (a) Brixham, (b) Leith and (c) Newlyn were closed; and how many Maritime and Coastguard Agency staff were (i) made redundant or (ii) transferred to other marine offices as a result of those closures.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Brixham Marine Office, which was collocated with the Maritime and Rescue Coordination Centre, closed on 31 October 2014 when rescue coordination activity from there stopped. There were no redundancies and two members of staff relocated to other sites. Leith Marine Office closed on 13 May 2015. There were no redundancies and one member of staff relocated to another site. Newlyn Marine Office closed on 31 April 2015. There were no redundancies and one member of staff relocated to another site.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff currently work at the marine offices in (a) Tyne, (b) Plymouth, (c) Beverley, (d) Orpington, (e) Harwich and (f) Norwich; and how many unfilled vacancies exist at each such location.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The table below shows the current level of staffing (Headcount and Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)), current full complement and vacancies at each of the six locations listed: Marine OfficeFull Complement (FTE)Current HeadcountCurrent (FTE)Vacancies (FTE)aTyne (includes Ensign Unit)23.601815.907.7bPlymouth8.2796.941.33cBeverley191614.664.34dOrpington1211102eHarwich4331fNorwich5550

Roads: Accidents

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) serious injuries and (b) fatalities in road traffic accidents were been reported to the police in (i) Dartford and (b) Kent in each year between 2010 to 2015.

Andrew Jones: The table below gives the number of a) fatalities, b) seriously injured and c) slightly injured casualties in personal injury road accidents reported to the police in i) Dartford, ii) Kent (excluding Medway unitary authority) and iii) Medway unitary authority for 2010 to 2014.  i) Dartfordii) Kent excl Medway UA a) Killedb) Seriousc) SlightTotala) Killedb) Seriousc) SlightTotal2010553584642554905,2575,8022011436550590434765,1855,7042012423552579504745,2315,7552013145540586485465,2365,8302014142616659496095,6456,303  iii) Medway UA a) Killedb) Seriousc) SlightTotal20102576336922011559766830201224977482520137497668222014156788845 Data for 2015 will be available in June 2016.

Channel Tunnel Railway Line

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the capacity and the availability of seating for passengers on peak services on High Speed 1 trains between Ebbsfleet and London St Pancras.

Claire Perry: No such assessment has been made by the Department but franchisees have an obligation to minimise overcrowding. Therefore it is the Train Operating Company running the service that is responsible for what rolling stock it allocates to which service, both in type and in quantity.

Roads: Kent

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department has allocated to Kent County Council for local road maintenance for (a) 2015-16 and (b) 2016-17.

Andrew Jones: This Government is providing both tools and funding to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to tackle the condition of our local road network. In the Spending Review 2015, the Government announced that we are allocating a total of £6.1 billion funding for local highways maintenance between now and 2021. This funding includes an additional £250 million between 2016 and 2021 for a potholes action fund to improve local roads, to promote innovation within the sector and to ensure that taxpayers get greater value for money. For Kent we are providing the following funding for local highways maintenance for the financial years 2015/16 and 2016/17: Funding Stream2015/16 £m2016/17 £mHighways Maintenance Block Needs Element27.27725.006Highways Maintenance Block Incentive Element 1.377Pothole Action Fund 1.473Total27.27727.856 Further details of the funding we are providing to all local highway authorities in England outside London can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/6-billion-funding-to-tackle-potholes-and-improve-local-roads Local authorities are able to use revenue funding for maintaining their local highways and this is allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant.

Shipping: Health Services

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of seafarers that would be affected by the proposal in Question 35 of the Department for Health consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England.

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) seafarer welfare and (b) compliance with the Maritime Labour Convention Regulation 4.1 on medical care onboard ship and ashore of the proposal in Question 35 of the Department of Health consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: UK regulations implementing Regulation 4.1. of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC) make the shipowner responsible for meeting the cost of medical care for seafarers working on their ships, in order to ensure that such care is provided at no cost to the seafarer. Since the Department of Health’s proposal does not affect seafarers’ access to medical care at the point of need, no seafarers should be affected by the proposal, and there should be no impact on the welfare of seafarers. I am satisfied that the proposal in Question 35 of the Department of Health consultation is not contrary to the requirements of the Convention.

Shipping: Pay

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what sanctions are in place to prevent the practice of nationality-based pay discrimination against EEA seafarers employed on (a) UK and (b) non-UK registered vessels working from UK ports.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Equality Act 2010 (Work on Ships and Hovercraft) Regulations 2011 makes clear that it is an offence to offer to pay or pay a person who is a national of an EEA State, or of a designated State (as defined in the Regulations), at a different rate based on that person’s nationality, where the seafarer is working wholly or partly in Great Britain and its adjacent waters and is working on a UK or EEA registered vessel. Similar legislation is applied in Northern Ireland.

Department for Transport: Lobbying

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held discussions with academics and charities in receipt of grants from his Department on the potential effect of the anti-lobbying clause on their work.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Department is currently rolling out the new anti-lobbying clause in its grant agreements and will monitor any feedback on the effect it may have on recipients.

Department for Transport: Lobbying

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how his Department plans to monitor and assess the effect of the revised anti-lobbying clause beyond 1 May 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: In line with guidance provided by the Cabinet Office, the Department will monitor compliance with this clause in the same way as other contractual terms and conditions, and will consider enforcement action where necessary.

Merchant Shipping

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for the future role of the merchant navy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government appreciates the role played by the merchant navy and recognises the need for an adequate supply of UK maritime expertise to meet the nation’s economic and strategic requirements. This includes the demand for experienced seafarers in the shore-based maritime services sector. The Department continues to provide support for the training of officers and ratings through the £15m Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme. Apprenticeships are at the heart of the Government’s drive to give people of all ages the skills employers need to grow and compete. Maritime is a key part of this with the Maritime Trailblazer which is employer led and has one approved standard for deck ratings and a further three in development for maritime mechanic, maritime caterer and onboard services. The Maritime Growth Study, chaired by Lord Mountevans and published on 7 September 2015, recognised the need for more proactive action to replenish and develop the skills needed to maintain the UK position as a world-leading maritime centre. The Government has accepted the recommendations. We have already let a research contract to Oxford Economics to establish the requirement for trained seafarers in the UK. This will assist both government and industry to plan ahead and to make efforts to address priority shortages where gaps are identified. We are also working to address the other skills recommendations including conducting a review of SMarT funding, better links into schools teaching and enlarging the awareness programme to encourage entry into the merchant navy.

Merchant Shipping: Recruitment

Ronnie Cowan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is taking to encourage people to join the merchant navy.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has no direct control over recruitment into the merchant navy. The MCA works with strategic partners such as the Chamber of Shipping, Nautilus, the RMT and organisations such as the British Tugowners Association and National Workboat Association to encourage economic growth, including the employment of seafarers. The MCA also manages the Government’s Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme that subsidises seafarer training by £15M annually. More than 700 new officer trainees started last year. The MCA is also involved with industry in supporting the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills apprenticeships for seafarers.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total expenditure was of his Department and it's predecessor departments in 2015-16 prices on (a) highways maintenance capital block grant funding, (b) the maintenance element of block allocation local transport plan settlement and (c) the principal road maintenance element of the transport policies and programmes system in each year from 1991-92 to 2015-16; and what his Department's planned expenditure is in 2015-16 prices on the highways maintenance capital block grant in each year from 2016-17 to 2020-21.

Andrew Jones: The table below sets out the funding the Department for Transport has allocated to local highway authorities in England (outside London) for local highways maintenance in each year for which records are available. This includes the additional funding the Department for Transport has provided to local highway authorities to help fix potholes and repair local highway infrastructure damaged by severe weather since 2010/11. Information is not held in the format requested prior to 2010/11 due to changes made in how grant funding is allocated for local highways maintenance. The figures shown are in cash terms and in 2014/15 prices (the latest available). For 2015/16 onwards, the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) forecasts as at the March 2016 budget have been used.£millionsYear2000/012001/022002/032003/042004/05Cash Terms2645315595666502014/15 prices367729748738822Additional Pothole and Other Top Up Cash Terms Wet Weather Cash Terms   Year2005/062006/072007/082008/092009/10Cash Terms6636726836536932014/15 prices814802792738765Additional Pothole and Other Top Up Cash Terms Wet Weather Cash Terms   Year2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15Cash Terms7638067797507072014/15 prices818851807761707Additional Pothole and Other Top Up Cash Terms284  14024Wet Weather Cash Terms   183.5   Year2015/162016/172017/182018/192019/20Cash Terms9769761,0511,0018762014/15 prices9749601,015947813Additional Pothole and Other Top Up Cash Terms 507575 Wet Weather Cash Terms180   Year2020/21 Cash Terms976 2014/15 prices888 Additional Pothole and Other Top Up Cash Terms50 Wet Weather Cash Terms   The Department for Transport is also funding a number of local highways maintenance and street lighting projects through the Private Finance Initiative which are not included within the table. In addition, local highway authorities are also able to use revenue funding for maintaining their local highways and this is allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant. It is for the respective local highway authorities to determine how this funding is spent based on local needs and priorities.

Cycleways

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 29270, and with reference to the Answer of 31 March 2008, on cycleways, when his Department stopped collecting data on the creation of cycle lanes by local authority area.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The previous Parliamentary Question refers to figures from 16 years ago. We have been unable to ascertain from Departmental records precisely when we stopped collating this data, but it will have been a decision made by the previous Labour administration.

Euston Station

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State in his Department, the hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby, on 23 March 2016, Official Report, column 1657, what the value is of the funding that has been made available for the initial feasibility work for the preparation of an outline masterplan for Euston Station; which agency is expected to lead that work; and when he expects that work to be completed.

Claire Perry: The design for HS2 is for one integrated HS2 station at Euston, which will be delivered in two stages (A and B1) to ensure a roll-out of passenger benefits in 2026 and again in 2033 as the Phase 1 and Phase 2 HS2 services are delivered​. Both the Department and Network Rail are committed to exploring how the ‘classic’ mainline station (Stage B2) might be integrated with the new HS2 station and potential Crossrail 2 station in the future, as part of a ‘masterplan’ for the Euston Station site. The Department, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd are currently working together to produce a plan to progress the initial feasibility and business case work needed for this project over the next two years, which will include the timing, resource required, and estimated cost.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) overall and (b) contingency for High Speed 2 (HS2) (i) Phase 1, (ii) Phase 2a, (iii) Phase 2b and (iv) rolling stock in 2015 prices; and what the overall expenditure has been on HS2 on the most recent date for which figures are available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The 2015 Spending Review reconfirmed the Government’s commitment to the programme providing a long-term funding envelope of £55.7bn in 2015 prices. A breakdown of this envelope with and without contingency has been provided below: £'bn, 2015 PricesPhase OnePhase 2aPhase 2bRolling StockTotalWithout Contingency18.02.714.75.440.8With Contingency24.33.720.7755.7 To date (2009/10 – 2015/16) the government has spent £1.5bn on the HS2 programme. Please note that actual expenditure data for 2015/16 is pre-audit.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North, of 17 February 2016, on comments made by him on the Walsall borough; and what the reason is for the time taken to respond to that letter.

Mr Marcus Jones: A reply was sent on 13 April and the delay was caused by a clerical error within the team.

Members: Correspondence

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects to reply to the letter of 7 March 2016 from the hon. Member for Walsall North concerning ESOL funding.

Mr Marcus Jones: Baroness Williams of Trafford replied on 12 April.

Department for Communities and Local Government: Written Questions

Mr David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons his Department did not answer Question 32050 from the hon. Member for Walsall North, tabled on 11 April 2016, or the letter sent to him on 17 February 2016; and if he will give an explanation why a written question for a named day was not replied to on time.

Mr Marcus Jones: A written question for a named day was not replied to on time as a result of a clerical error within the departmental parliamentary team. A reply to the hon Member's letter of 17 February has been sent.

Local Government: Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31226, how his Department monitors local authorities for compliance with their obligation under the (a) Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and (b) Local Government Transparency Code 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government: Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31226, on how many occasions his Department has found a local authority to be non-compliant with (a) the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 and (b) the Local Government Transparency Code 2015.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Department for Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Indonesia: Human Rights

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the human rights situation in Indonesia.

Mr Hugo Swire: Our Embassy in Jakarta engages with a wide range of Indonesian civil society organisations and regularly seeks their assessments of the human rights situation. Indonesia has a strong tradition of religious diversity and tolerance but there has been a rise in recent years of localised instances of inter- and intra-religious conflict and examples where the rights of religious and other minority groups have not been protected.We will continue to raise our concerns on these important issues with the Indonesian authorities.

Arms Trade: United Arab Emirates

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances the Government has sought from the government of the United Arab Emirates on the use of military equipment purchased from the UK for the repression of its citizens.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications, including those for military listed or dual use goods destined for the United Arab Emirates, are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking into account all relevant factors at the time of the application. We draw on all relevant information available to us, including reports from Non-Governmental Organisations and our overseas network. We will not issue an export licence if there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression and we take account of any risk that the goods might be diverted to undesirable end-users or end-use.

Libya: Borders

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the Government of National Accord in securing the (a) maritime and (b) land borders of Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Helping the Government of National Accord (GNA) to secure its borders will be crucial to achieve our objectives on counter-Daesh and counter-migration in Libya. That is why we and international partners stand ready to respond to requests for support from the GNA to help them restore stability in Libya.

Libya: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking through its membership of the UN Security Council to achieve (a) democratic sustainability, (b) economic viability and (c) physical security in Libya.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK continues to play an active role in the UN Security Council in supporting the Government of National Accord (GNA) as the only legitimate government in Libya, endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council Resolution 2259 (2015). That resolution, drafted by the UK, highlighted the importance of the Libyan State financial institutions, including the National Oil Corporation, the Central Bank of Libya, and the Libyan Investment Authority, continuing to function for the benefit of all Libyans, and stressed the need for the GNA to exercise sole and effective oversight over them as a matter of urgency.The UK also worked in the UN Security Council for the adoption of Resolution 2278 (2016) on 31 March, which renewed measures against illicit oil exports from Libya, extended the mandate of the Expert Panel assisting the UN Libya Sanctions Committee, and affirmed the Security Council’s readiness to consider changes, when appropriate, to the UN asset freeze at the request of the GNA.

Libya: Economic Situation

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department is giving to Libya to help the country diversify its economy so that it is not so dependent on revenue from oil.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In the long run, economic diversification away from oil will help Libya restore fiscal balance and sustainability. In the short run, the UK, and our international partners, believe that the proper functioning and independence of the Central Bank of Libya, National Oil Corporation, and other key financial institutions, are crucial to efforts to rebuild the Libyan economy. Furthermore, effective public financial management will be crucial in helping the GNA achieve real impact on the ground and gain economic credibility. It is why we have committed £3 million over the next two years to provide technical assistance and economic governance expertise to Libya.

Iran: Baha'i Faith

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Iranian government about reports of 24 Bahais sentenced to imprisonment by a court in Gorgan on 1 February 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK regularly raises our concerns at the treatment of the Baha’i community in Iran. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

Lee Po

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether consular assistance has been granted to Mr Lee Po; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire: We remain deeply concerned by the case of Lee Po and his involuntary removal to the mainland, which was a serious breach of the Joint Declaration. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the case of Mr Lee with the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities on 8 and 9 April. We continue to call for Mr Lee’s liberty to be fully restored and remain ready to provide consular assistance. To date we have not been granted consular access to him.

Libya: Politics and Government

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote provision of international support to the Government of National Accord in Libya in (a) governing effectively, (b) managing that country's security situation, (c) achieving political unity and (d) achieving international recognition.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK has been at the forefront of international support to Libya; promoting political participation, strengthening security, and supporting economic growth. We have allocated up to £14 million in the new financial year to support Libya and to tackle some of the challenges emanating from that country, such as migration and the terrorist threat.We hosted a meeting with the UN in London in October 2015 to create the international community support plan. Representatives of 40 countries, UN agencies, and international bodies, as well as a number of independent Libyan experts attended. We co-hosted with the UN a follow-up meeting in Tunis on 12 April, with Government of National Accord representatives in attendance.

Maldives: Press Freedom

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Maldivian government about freedom of the press in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Government has a number of concerns about human rights, including freedom of the press, in the Maldives. Most recently, on 4 April, I tweeted my concern over the arrest of 16 journalists who were protesting in Malé. I also raised human rights concerns, including restrictions on the freedom of expression, when I met representatives of the Maldives Government in London on 11 February, and when I met President Yameen and Foreign Minister Dunya during my visit to the Maldives on 17 and 18 January.

Maldives: Political Prisoners

Julie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of political prisoners in the Maldives.

Mr Hugo Swire: The Maldives Police Service reports that in the past two years there have been 140 cases brought against those arrested at political rallies for disobeying police orders, obstructing police duties or committing or encouraging acts defined by the Maldivian authorities as terrorism. The opposition claims the total number facing politically motivated charges is much higher.However, the number of individuals who have been sentenced to prison on charges we assess to be politically motivated is significantly lower. These individuals include former President Mohamed Nasheed, Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla and former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim amongst others.

Yemen: Islamic State

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the influence of ISIS in Yemen; and what steps his Department is taking with regional allies to curb that influence.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: We remain concerned by the terrorist threat in Yemen, including the presence of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Daesh-Yemen. Long term instability increases the risk that terrorist groups continue to exploit the deteriorating situation to consolidate their support base and capabilities.Throughout 2015, we saw an expansion of Daesh-Yemen, albeit starting from a small base. We judge that they remain a threat to UK strategic interests in the region, rather than a direct threat to the UK. We continue to work with regional partners to tackle the terrorist threat from Yemen. For operational reasons we cannot comment in detail on this activity.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, 28 January 2016, Official Report, column 426, on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, how many (a) arms export licences have been awarded to Saudi Arabia and (b) reviews of arms sales to Saudi Arabia have been conducted in 2016.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The UK Government is satisfied that extant licenses for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria. The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms exports control regimes in the world.Information on military and dual use export licences is published as Official Statistics in the quarterly and annual reports on Strategic Export Controls which are all available to view on GOV.UK. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination (including Saudi Arabia). The statistics include the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. Information covering the period 1 October to 31 December 2015 will be published on 19 April 2016. The 1st quarter results for 2016 covering the period 1 January to 31 March 2016 will be published on 19 July 2016.Since the outset of the conflict in Yemen, the Government has kept all extant licenses and new licensing to Saudi Arabia under continuous review, and has exercised special caution and vigilance in granting new licences for exports to Saudi Arabia, handling each on a case-by-case basis.

Palestinians: EU Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress in the EU structured dialogue with Israel in halting the demolition and confiscation of EU-funded structures in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There has been a significant increase in Israeli demolitions since the start of 2016. The UK and the EU continue to raise concerns about demolitions with the Government of Israel and make it clear that demolitions are contrary to international humanitarian law in all but the most exceptional cases.

Turkey: Press Freedom

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Turkey on the arrest and charging of Can Dundar and Erdem Gul.

Mr Philip Hammond: We regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish Government. I set out the UK’s concerns on freedom of expression when I met my Turkish counterpart on 12 March. The specific case of Can Dündar and Erdem Gül is an important one for freedom of expression in Turkey. We and our EU partners are monitoring progress, including by our diplomats attending the opening hearing on 25 March.

Turkey: EU Accession

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on Turkey's accession to the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The UK supports Turkey’s EU accession process, which remains the most effective mechanism for continuing reform in Turkey. Turkey’s accession itself is not on the cards for many years to come. Turkey first applied for associate membership of the EEC in 1959, and there remains a very significant amount of detailed work to do before Turkey is ready to join the EU including economic reforms. Every Member State has a veto at every stage. For the UK, the EU Act 2011 requires any Accession Treaty admitting a candidate country to membership to be ratified by Act of Parliament.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Employment Tribunals Service

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 28625, how many employment tribunals the legal fees for employment tribunals in that Answer relate to.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The answer of 25 February 2016 given to Parliamentary Question 28625 relates to legal fees for 14 employment tribunal claims against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Overtime

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 28689, how many staff in his Department received overtime pay in each of the last 24 months.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The number of FCO staff who have received overtime payments in each of the last 24 months is:2014 April326May219June226July352August363September271October429November213December1912015 January188February208March278April294May220June320July200August241September477October309November247December2582016 January167February255March197Staff can only claim overtime when required by management to work more than their conditioned hours. In the majority of cases claims are made after exceptional demands on Foreign Office staff during times of global crises.

Northern Ireland Office

Immigration Controls

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment she has made of the potential economic effect in Northern Ireland of the imposition of border checks between that country and the Republic of Ireland in the event of a UK withdrawal from the EU.

Mr Ben Wallace: The Government's position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. The UK and Ireland are part of the EU Customs Union, which means that there are no customs controls on the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Without this, goods being exported across the border could be subject to various forms of customs controls and their liability to duty determined according to complex Rules of Origin. The absence of cross-border restrictions has both encouraged cooperation and increased trade over the last twenty years. Overall, around 60 per cent of Northern Ireland’s exports go to the EU, with 37 per cent going to Ireland alone. It is the Government’s view that if the UK left the EU these arrangements could be put at risk.

Attorney General

Offenders: Nationality

Tom Pursglove: To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31332, if he will estimate the cost of collecting information on the nationality of offenders referred to the court.

Robert Buckland: The nationality of offenders referred to the court is not collated centrally. The Ministry of Justice hold data on foreign nationals held in prisons in England and Wales and publish statistics quarterly. The data does not include those offenders who receive non-custodial sentences. To obtain even the limited data which is held would require the consideration of the files in all cases over the past three years where the Court of Appeal increased a sentence of imprisonment previously imposed to ascertain if they contained sufficient information for the data to be requested from the Ministry of Justice. The process that would have to be undertaken would incur costs above the current disproportionate cost threshold and would in any event only provide the nationality for a limited number of offenders referred to the court.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences: Prosecutions

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many cases of alleged (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offence took place in the UK were prosecuted by the Services Prosecuting Authority in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

Robert Buckland: Figures for all prosecutions by the Services Prosecuting Authority of Rape, Sexual Assault & Domestic violence covering the period 2013 to 2015 where the alleged offence took place in the UK are contained in the following table. YearRape ProsecutionsSexual Assault ProsecutionsDomestic Violence Prosecutions20132802014211520153146 (1 case yet to go to trial)

Prosecutions

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many prosecutions were commenced by the Serious Fraud Office in (a) 2012, (b) 2013, (c) 2014 and (d) 2015.

Robert Buckland: The table below shows the number of individuals or bodies corporate against whom the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) instituted proceedings in each year but does not include persons outside the jurisdiction, for whom the court has issued a warrant of arrest under section 1 of the Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 but in respect of whom no written charge or summons has been issued. YearNumber201212201330201420201523  The SFO started two related sets of proceedings against Alstom Network UK. One in 2014, the other in 2015. Only the first set of proceedings is included in the table above.

Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences

Karl Turner: To ask the Attorney General, how many cases of alleged (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were referred to the Services Prosecuting Authority for a charging decision in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

Robert Buckland: Figures for all referrals received by the Service Prosecuting Authority of Rape, Sexual Assault & Domestic violence covering the period 2013 to 2015 where the alleged offence took place in the UK.YearRape referral receivedSexual assault referral receivedDomestic violence referral received201372242014323620157229

Human Rights

Andy McDonald: To ask the Attorney General, what recent steps the Government has taken to promote human rights in the UK and abroad.

Jeremy Wright: The Government has a strong record on human rights here and abroad. As examples, it brought forward the Modern Slavery Act seeking to protect some of the most vulnerable and exploited people in our society. It is one of the leading members of the UN Human Rights Council, tackling in particular sexual violence in conflict and we will support £10.6 million worth of human rights projects globally this financial year.

Hate Crime: Disability

David Mowat: To ask the Attorney General, what steps the CPS is taking to improve the conviction rate for hate crimes involving disabled people.

Robert Buckland: The CPS treats all allegations of hate crime, including those involving disabled people, extremely seriously and continues to place priority on this work. Legal guidance on disability hate crime was refreshed in 2015 and a supporting training package was delivered to all CPS lawyers by January 2016. This equips prosecutors with up to date knowledge to inform their decision making and approach to building the strongest cases possible. In addition, a National Scrutiny Panel on disability is assisting with the development of further refinements to policy guidance on crimes against disabled people and the preparation of a joint CPS/Police/HMCTS statement concerning support to disabled victims of crime.

Human Rights

Gerald Jones: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on the UK's domestic and international human rights obligations.

Jeremy Wright: I meet regularly with Ministerial colleagues to discuss important issues of common interest, including on domestic and international human rights law. I am not able to talk about any legal content of those discussions because, by convention, whether the Law Officers have given advice or not is not disclosed outside Government.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Pregnancy: Discrimination

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the reason is for the time taken to publish the final version of the report on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage.

Hannah Bardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when the final version of the report on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage will be published.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 21 March 2016



  The final reports on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination in the workplace were published on 22 March 2016, together with the Government response to recommendations made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. We had intended to publish the final reports in December 2015, but this did not prove possible as the research reports were extensive and took longer than expected to finalise.

Minimum Wage

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department has made on implementing its plans to impose financial penalties of up to £20,000 per worker against companies who fail to pay the national minimum wage.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 11 April 2016



  From 26 May 2015, the maximum penalty for underpayment of the National Minimum Wage (NMW) increased from £20,000 per notice of underpayment (NoU) to £20,000 per worker. From 1 April 2016 the penalty has been increased to 200% of the total underpayment for all of the workers specified in a NoU. By increasing penalties for underpayment of the NMW it is intended that employers, who could otherwise be tempted to underpay, comply with the law and working people receive the money they are legally due. The maximum penalty will remain at £20,000 per worker.

Minimum Wage

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to respond to the recommendation in the Low Pay Commission's Spring 2016 report on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) that HM Revenue and Customs investigation of third party reports of NMW breaches be subject to a public protocol.

Nick Boles: The Government is carefully considering the non-rate recommendations in the Low Pay Commission Spring 2016, and will respond in due course.

Employment Agencies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of agency workers in each of the last 10 years.

Nick Boles: Holding answer received on 11 April 2016



Table 1 shows numbers of agency workers for the last 10 years. The figures, obtained from a survey of UK Recruitment firms, represent a snapshot of the volume of workers undertaking a temporary assignment on a given day and are our best estimate of agency worker numbers. Table 1: Average Daily Volume of agency workers, 2005/06 – 2014/15 YearNumber 2005/061,270,000 2006/071,380,000 2007/081,220,000 2008/091,070,000 2009/10880,000 2010/111,050,000 2011/121,110,000 2012/131,130,000 2013/141,160,000 2014/151,200,000 Source: Recruitment Industry Trends Survey 2014/15, Recruitment & Employment Confederation Rounded to nearest 1000.

UK Trade with EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of UK firms based in the East Midlands that trade with other EU member states; and how many people are employed by each such firm.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of UK firms based in Yorkshire and the Humber that trade with other EU member states; and how many people are employed by each such firm.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of UK firms based in the North West of England that trade with other EU member states; and how many people are employed by each such firm.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of UK firms based in the East of England that trade with other EU member states; and how many people are employed by each such firm.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in London that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in the South East of England that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in the South West of England that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in the North East of England that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in Wales that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in Northern Ireland that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in Scotland that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms based in the West Midlands that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Anna Soubry: HMRC Regional Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.HM Treasury has published estimates of the number of UK jobs linked to EU exports broken down by region. These are available through the GOV.UK website.

Fossil Fuels: Import Duties

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of introducing an import tax on coal and gas imported from outside the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The UK is part of the EU Single market which has a common EU tariff policy which applies to all imports. Import tariffs are set by the EU. The UK has no legal ability to set its own import tariffs.EU tariffs rates form part of our World Trade Organisation (WTO) commitments and apply to all WTO member countries. Under WTO rules increases to EU tariffs above the level committed to, or ‘bound’ rate, require us to give compensation to affected countries (in the form of lower tariffs on other products). Any potential benefit of an import tariff increase may therefore harm another UK sector.The latest version of the EU tariff was published in Official Journal to the EU L285 on 30 October 2015 (Council implementing Regulation EU No 1101/2014 amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC|) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff). Chapter 27 covers the import of fuel including coal and gas. The import of coal has a 0% import duty and the import of gas ranges from 0% to 8% depending on the type and usage.WTO rules, do however allow countries to impose import tariffs when goods are being “dumped” e.g. sold on our market at below manufacturing cost price. If there is evidence that imports of coal and gas are being dumped the European Commission could propose imposing anti-dumping duties.

Overseas Trade: China

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to improve trade with (a) Hong Kong and (b) China as a whole.

Anna Soubry: Increasing trade and growth through exports, to all overseas markets including Hong Kong and China is a key factor in the Government’s long-term economic plan. Government departments are working together to support UK businesses looking to take advantage of overseas opportunities and to create a strong business environment that allows them to flourish on the international stage.The focus on China and Hong Kong is exemplified by the fact that UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) has some 180 full-time equivalent posts in these markets, representing its largest overseas team working on trade and investment. UKTI also works in partnership with the China Britain Business Council (CBBC) which delivers volume trade support on its behalf for UK companies looking to export to China. CBBC offers support for UK businesses across 13 strategic locations in China.

Living Wage

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the National Living Wage on (a) costs to businesses and (b) employee pay.

Nick Boles: The Government’s Impact Assessment for the introduction of the National Living Wage estimates the total cost to businesses at around £1.1 billion, consisting of direct wage costs, associated non-wage labour costs, maintaining pay differentials and transition costs.Direct costs to employers contribute just under £700 million to the total cost to raise employees’ wages to the initial rate of £7.20. This will be a direct benefit to employees from receiving higher wages.On current OBR forecasts, a full-time National Minimum Wage worker will earn over £4,200 more by 2020 from the National Living Wage in cash terms.

EU Internal Trade

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the number of (a) UK firms that trade with other EU member states and (b) people employed by those firms.

Anna Soubry: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics on the number of firms trading with the EU are publically available through the UKTradeInfo website.HM Treasury estimates that 3.3 million UK jobs are linked to EU exports. Further details are publically available through the GOV.UK Website.

Arms Trade: Exports

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the contribution of the arms export industry to the UK economy in 2014.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value of arms exports from the UK was in 2014.

Anna Soubry: Holding answer received on 13 April 2016



The Department does not collate data on the value of the total contribution that arms exports make to the UK economy. However, we do publish official statistics on defence exports, which show that the UK’s defence export total in 2014 was an estimated £8.5bn. Further details of defence exports can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-defence-and-security-export-figures-2014

Apprentices: Hearing Impairment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether if a participant is unable to obtain Level 1 English as a result of deafness, fluency in British Sign Language can be accepted as a qualification for completing an intermediate apprenticeship.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pubs Code Adjudicator

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what relevant qualifications the official from his Department who was seconded to oversee the appointment panel for the recruitment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator held; and what methodology was used by the Department to choose who would be seconded into that role.

Anna Soubry: No official from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills was seconded to oversee the appointment panel for the recruitment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator. In line with the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) guidance the recruitment panel was chaired by a Public Appointments Assessor. The Panel also included the relevant Director from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and an independent panel member.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Cardiff

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were employed in his Department's Cardiff office in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: The number of people employed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills HQ in its Cardiff office in each year since 2010 is shown in the table below. YearHeadcount2010220115.520129201333.2201447.1201541.3201648.9 The headcount, which is shown in full time equivalent, is as at 31 March in each year.

Learning and Skills Council for England: Bristol

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were employed in the Skills Funding Agency Bristol office in each year since 2010.

Nick Boles: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Student Loans Company: Cardiff

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were employed in the Student Loans Company Cardiff office in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: The Student Loans Company’s (SLC) office in Wales is located in Llandudno Junction and currently employs 132 staff. This site primarily delivers services for Student Finance Wales on behalf of the Welsh Government, including the provision of financial support for Welsh students undertaking further or higher education studies. Prior to 2015, the SLC’s office in Wales was based in Colwyn Bay. The table below sets out the number of people SLC has employed in its Wales office each year since 2010. YearNo. of employees2015127201485201326201232201129201030

Insolvency Service: Cardiff

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were employed in the Insolvency Service Cardiff office in each year since 2010.

Anna Soubry: The number of employees working in the Insolvency Service’s Cardiff office prior to 2014 is not held and could only be ascertained at disproportionate cost. The numbers of permanent employees working in the Cardiff office since 2014 are as follows: 1 January 2014: 351 January 2015: 451 January 2016: 46 The increase in staff numbers between 2014 and 2015 follows the closure of the Insolvency Service’s Swansea office and transfer of staff between the two offices.

UK Trade and Investment: Visits Abroad

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answers of 20 February 2016 to Question 27903 and 3 March 2016 to Question 28905, what the reason is for the apparent discrepancy between the number of overseas visits listed in each answer.

Anna Soubry: Having checked the responses from the previous two requests, it appears that the answer to Question 28905, had inadvertently excluded the visits undertaken by Lord Puttnam in 2014. These visits were to: VietnamCambodia x2Laos x2Burma Also since receiving the original request, there had been another visit in 2016, so the total recorded went from 12 to 13.

EU External Trade: Canada

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether Parliamentary authority is required for UK ratification of the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Anna Soubry: We expect the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement will be a mixed agreement covering areas of both EU and Member State competence. In that case, it will be subject to agreement by each EU Member State, the EU Council and the European Parliament. As part of this process the agreement will be laid before Parliament for scrutiny before it is ratified by the UK. We will confirm the procedures for Parliamentary approval when it is presented for signature.

Department for International Development

HIV Infection

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department plan to attend the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2016.

Mr Nick Hurd: The UK government will be represented at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on ending AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2016. Precise attendance has still to be finalised.

Department for Education

Primary Education: Performance Standards

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will issue guidance to schools on the terminology used for children who do not reach the national standard grade under the proposed reforms to Key Stage 2.

Nick Gibb: Schools have been informed that pupil outcomes will be described as meeting or not meeting the expected standard in the Key Stage 2 (KS2) tests. Pupils who do not meet the expected standard in the teacher assessment of writing will be awarded one of a number of standards: Foundations for the expected standard, Early development of the expected standard, Growing development of the expected standard or Working towards the expected standard. The Standards and Testing Agency will provide additional guidance on scaled scores in July 2016.Schools are required to report to parents of year 6 children their child’s scaled scores for the KS2 tests; whether they have met the expected standard or not; and their teacher assessed standards for English writing, English reading, mathematics and science. Schools are also required to give parents more general information about the child’s achievements, general progress and attendance record. This is intended to give a more comprehensive view of a child’s overall achievements at the end of the key stage than just their attainment in the national curriculum assessments. The Department does not prescribe the terminology to be used in these reports.We expect schools to ensure that children’s achievements are reported in a professional and appropriate manner.

Social Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage the retention of social workers in that profession.

Edward Timpson: This Government has invested over £700m in social worker training and improvement since 2010. Programmes like Step Up to Social Work, Frontline and the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment are all focussed on bringing high quality people into social work and supporting them in their first year. Early evidence suggest that this investment is paying off: the first findings from a three-year longitudinal evaluation of Step Up cohorts 1 and 2 indicate that 84% cohort 1 Step Up graduates identified in the study were still practising in child and family social work after three years (compared to 65% of all social work education graduates in 2013-14 who were employed as social workers six months after leaving their course).As well as supporting high quality training and development of social workers, we are developing a national, practice-focused, career pathway based on the skills and knowledge that social workers should display at all levels in their career and incentivising new teaching partnership arrangements between employers and higher education institutions to improve recruitment, retention and development of social workers.

Child Protection Taskforce

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the performance of the Child Protection Taskforce.

Edward Timpson: The Child Protection Taskforce is one of several Implementation Taskforces set up by the Prime Minister to monitor the delivery of key policies. The Taskforce oversees the Government’s reform agenda for child protection: tracking progress; spotting potential blockages and agreeing plans for resolving them; ensuring accountability; and making sure actions are followed through. Since the Taskforce was formed in June 2015, it has been successful in bringing key Ministers and officials together in a forum to drive our ambitious reform agenda on children’s social care.

Schools: Admissions

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31102, what assessment she has made of the effect of the Government's proposal for every school to become an academy on (a) divergences between schools' admissions arrangements and (b) proposals to limit who may refer objections to the Schools Adjudicator; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s White Paper, ‘Educational Excellence Everywhere’, sets out the Government’s aim that every school should have the opportunity to become an academy. In this context, it sets out our intention to seek views on a number of changes to the admissions system to make it simpler and clearer for parents to navigate.As part of these proposed changes, we intend to streamline the functions of the Office of the Schools Adjudicator so that objections to admission arrangements are resolved faster. This will include limiting who can object so only local parents and councils may refer objections, so that the adjudicator function can remain focused on resolving the concerns of those who may be directly affected by a school’s admission arrangements.The White Paper is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/educational-excellence-everywhere

Children in Care: Finance

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 23 March 2016 to Question 31103, what the average local authority expenditure for each looked after child was in each year from 2011 to 2015.

Edward Timpson: Local authority funding for the provision of children’s services, including fostering services, is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, local authorities are required to submit annual budget and outturn statements about their actual spending to the Secretary of State for Education. The total local authority expenditure on looked after children, based upon the section 251 outturn statements, is set out below for each financial year between 2011 – 2015. Total local authority expenditure per looked after child per week is also set out. This is given by total expenditure in each financial year divided by the total number of looked after children at the 31 March of each year. This is then divided by the number of weeks in a year to give a weekly figure.  2011-12 (£000s)2012-13 (£000s)2013-14 (£000s)2014-15 (£000s)Looked After Children Spending£3,383,664£3,495,626£3,661,327£3,768,523 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________  2011-122012-132013-142014-15Spending per Looked after Child per week£880£985£1,020£1,040 Source: Section 251 outturn statements and SSDA903 Note: Unit costs rounded to the neared £5.

Religion: Education

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release entitled Nicky Morgan unveils new vision for the education system, published on 17 March 2016, whether religious education will continue to be a statutory subject in state schools in England.

Nick Gibb: Religious education (RE) remains compulsory for all state funded schools, including academies and free schools, at all key stages. The Government firmly believes in the importance of RE. High quality RE can develop children’s knowledge of the values and traditions of Britain and other countries, and foster understanding among different faiths and cultures.

Ministry of Justice

Custodial Treatment: Contracts

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much companies contracted by his Department to operate (a) detention centres, (b) prisons, (c) young offender institutions and (d) secure training centres have paid in fines in each of the last five years; and what the reason was for each such fine imposed.

Andrew Selous: This department does not hold information relating to (a) detention centres as these are managed by the Home Office. Information regarding (b) prisons, (c) young offender institutions can be located in PQ answer 24385 which was answered on 4 April 2016. Information on (d) Secure Training Centres can be located in PQ answer 26793 which was answered on 9 February 2016.

Armed Forces: Death

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of non-combat related deaths in the UK military were given an inquiry by jury in the last five years.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners: Employment

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve prisons' engagement with employers; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous: Supporting offenders into meaningful employment is a vital aspect of the Government’s approach to rehabilitation. We already work with a wide range of employers in prison through One3One Solutions and engagement by Prison Governors. And we want Governors to do more so we are putting the tools to drive this change in the hands of those at the frontline who best know what works. We are keen to increase the number of employers who can provide valuable vocational work for offenders while in prison and who are able to offer them support in preparation for release and employment opportunities following their release. I regularly meet businesses across the country including at two successful roadshows at HMP Sudbury and HMP/YOI Drake Hall, and most recently at HMP Wayland where local media have supported our campaign. New businesses are now coming on board as a consequence. The Employers Forum for Reducing Reoffending brings together employers willing to employ offenders and we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to increase the involvement of more businesses. The Prime Minister has announced changes to recruitment practises across the civil service to ensure that people are considered on their merits and not on their criminal conviction and we want to encourage more employers to do the same.

HM Courts and Tribunals Service: North East

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many medically qualified panel members of HM Courts and Tribunals services in the North East of England are orthopaedic specialists.

Mr Shailesh Vara: HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not hold the requested information centrally.

Road Traffic Offences: Reviews

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department's review of criminal driving offences will consider changes to the distinction between careless and dangerous driving offences.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish the terms of reference of his Department's review of criminal driving offences.

Dominic Raab: Driving offences can have devastating consequences for victims and their loved ones. The government is aware of concerns about a number of sentencing issues and is committed to making sure sentencing for driving crimes is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation in due course which will look at driving offences and penalties.

Immigration: Appeals

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the additional costs incurred by his Department arising from appeal hearings at the First-tier Tribunal (Asylum and Immigration) being adjourned as a result of no Home Office representative being present.

Mr Shailesh Vara: This information requested is not held centrally.

Translation Services

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times Capita Translation and Interpreting has met its key performance target since it has been contracted to provide courtroom interpreting services; and how many fines that company has incurred for missing those targets over that period.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The key performance target under the Language Services contract relates to successful completion of service requests for the provision of interpreters. The contract sets out a 98% target completion rate. The success rates for the first six months of the last financial year 2015/16 are 96.4 percent (Q1) and 97.3 percent (Q2). In addition the rate of complaints over this period was at its lowest level at just over 1 per cent.Service credits can be imposed on Capita in line with the terms of the contract when performance falls below the contractual level of 98% success rate. From the beginning of the contract in January 2012 until September 2015 Capita TI has paid Service Credits on 44 occasions.We are absolutely committed to further improving performance to ensure a standard of language services that meets the needs of all those who use the service in the justice system.The contract has delivered significant improvements so far and we now have a system that is robust, sustainable and able to deliver a quality service at an affordable level. Since we introduced a new interpreting contract in 2012 we have spent £38m less on language service fees.

Sivaraj Tharmalingham

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to investigate the findings of the report by HM Senior Coroner, Mary Hassell on the death of Mr Sivaraj Tharmalingham, that Serco fabricated the number of checks that its staff made on Mr Tharmalingham at Thames Magistrates' Court.

Andrew Selous: Following the inquest into the tragic death of Mr Tharmalingham, a prevention of future deaths report has been sent to Serco by HM Senior Coroner for Inner North London under Regulation 28 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has received a copy of the report. Serco are currently considering the report and will respond in accordance with the Regulations. NOMS manages all contracts with third party providers robustly and will work closely with Serco to ensure that the matters of concern identified by the Coroner are examined and appropriately addressed.

Prime Minister

Ministers: Taxation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Prime Minister, whether he plans to require all Ministers to publish their annual tax return.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the Oral Statement I gave to the House on 11 April 2016, Official Report, column 23.

Ministers: Taxation

Christian Matheson: To ask the Prime Minister, if he will make it his policy to revise the Ministerial Code to include an obligation on members of the Government not to use offshore tax arrangements.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Moray (Mr Robertson) during my Oral Statement on 11 April 2016, Official Report, columns 31-32.

Tax Havens

Ms Diane Abbott: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Prime Minister's contribution of 9 September 2013, Official Report, column 700, what the evidential basis is for the statement that none of the UK's overseas territories or Crown dependencies are tax havens.

Mr David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Leader of the Opposition, the right hon. Member for Islington North (Mr Corbyn), on 13 April 2016, Official Report, column 344-345, and to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Moray (Mr Robertson) on the same day, Official Report, column 347.

Ministry of Defence

Special Forces

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether special forces deployments are discussed at meetings of the National Security Council.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the Privy Council have been briefed on special forces operations in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on special forces in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion of the total amount was spent on equipment in each such year.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many new recruits joined (a) 22 Special Air Service Regiment, (b) Special Boat Service, (c) Special Reconnaissance Regiment, (d) 18 Signal Regiment, (e) Special Forces Support Group and (f) Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing in each of the last 10 years; and how many personnel left each of those units in each such year.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel there were in (a) 22 Special Air Service Regiment, (b) Special Boat Service, (c) Special Reconnaissance Regiment, (d) 18 Signal Regiment, (e) Special Forces Support Group and (f) Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing in each of the last 10 years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many service personnel from (a) 22 Special Air Service Regiment, (b) Special Boat Service, (c) Special Reconnaissance Regiment, (d) 18 Signal Regiment, (e) Special Forces Support Group and (f) Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing died during (i) operations and (ii) training in each of the last 10 years.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions his Department has received a request from the Home Office for assistance from special forces with domestic counter-terrorism policing in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions such a request was approved in each such year.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions the chairs of the (a) Defence, (b) Foreign Affairs and (c) Intelligence and Security Committee were briefed on special forces operations in each of the last 10 years.

Penny Mordaunt: This Government has demonstrated its commitment to our Special Forces by announcing a £2 billion programme of investment over the course of this Parliament. All military operations, including the activities of the Special Forces, are discussed and scrutinised at the highest levels of Government, including at the National Security Council. However, as it is the longstanding policy of the Government not to comment on our Special Forces, or to release information relating to them, I cannot comment on specific questions about personnel, equipment, discussions or activities in relation to these units.

International Assistance: Libya

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the capabilities, troop numbers and mission objectives of the Libya international assistance mission.

Penny Mordaunt: Italy is leading the planning for a Libya International Assistance Mission which is intended to provide training to Libyan security forces in response to a formal request made by the Libyan Government of National Accord. The mission is not designed to provide security for the Libyan Government.The capabilities, troop numbers and objectives for any potential deployment are not yet sufficiently developed and will be further refined once a request for support has been received and the requirement becomes clear. No decisions have been made about the contribution of any British military forces to this mission.

CarillionAmey

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many properties are managed by CarillionAmey on behalf of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster: On 31 January 2016, CarillionAmey were responsible for managing 46,911 Service Family Accommodation properties on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

CarillionAmey

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many property maintenance requests have been received by CarillionAmey on behalf of his Department in each of the last five years.

Mark Lancaster: The National Housing Prime contract was fully implemented on 1 December 2014 replacing the previous separate UK arrangements. On that date, CarillionAmey became responsible for the repair and maintenance service. The number of maintenance requests received from that date (by month) is shown in the following table:   Financial Year 2014-15Financial Year 2015-16Apriln/a21,585Mayn/a20,020Junen/a21,213Julyn/a22,144Augustn/a20,945Septembern/a24,224Octobern/a23,185Novembern/a23,627December13,49324,648January23,20524,634February25,188-March23,520-Totals85,406226,225 Data is not yet available for February or March of financial year 2015-16.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment the Government has made of the feasibility of introducing no-fly zones over parts of the Syrian border.

Penny Mordaunt: While the UK would consider any option compliant with international law which might save lives in Syria, and have considered the feasibility of attempting to create safe zones, our priority is to support UN-brokered intra-Syrian negotiations in Geneva. We believe this offers the best hope of bringing an end to the conflict and relief to civilian populations.

NATO

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve NATO decision-making procedures and culture.

Mr Julian Brazier: NATO adaptation is a high priority for the UK and many other Allies. A number of important decisions were taken at the Wales Summit in 2014. Significant progress has been made in implementing those changes. We expect NATO to take further decisions on adaptation at the forthcoming Summit in Warsaw.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what records are kept by commanding officers when dealing with offences that are reported to them and dealt with summarily.

Mark Lancaster: A Commanding Officer dealing with a Summary Hearing must complete a Record of Summary Hearing (RSH). This can be found at Annex C to Vol 1 Ch.9 JSP 830 (Manual of Service Law) which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/478387/20151113-Chapter9-SHSSSD-AL38.pdfThe information that must be recorded includes the following:- Details of the accused- The charges and whether they are admitted or denied- The outcome of the Summary Hearing and where relevant the sentence awarded- Any order made (for example detention, order to pay)- Reasons for sentence (including mitigating and aggravating factors and the effect of the punishment)- The date of hearing and who it was heard byThe paperwork connected with the Summary Hearing should be processed within 24 hours following the hearing. The RSH should be retained under single-Service arrangements for a minimum period of two years and recordable offences will be recorded on the Police National Computer.

Armed Forces: Crimes of Violence

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence were (i) reported to the Royal Military Police, (ii) referred by the Royal Military Police to prosecutors and (iii) directed for trial in each year since 2009.

Mark Lancaster: The information requested is provided in the following table:  YearRapeSexual AssaultDomestic ViolenceReported to RMPReferral received by SPADirected for TrialReported to RMPReferral received by SPADirected for TrialReferral received by SPADirected for Trial2009251610602410  2010202076242243210201120185465926603020122320934271422112013241584634185125201425127364121663620151627133547174120 It is important to note that due to the serious nature of the offences and the time taken to investigate them, there may be a period of time between the reporting of the offence to the Royal Military Police (RMP) and its subsequent referral to the Service Prosecution Authority (SPA). Therefore reporting and subsequent referral and direction to trial may not all take place in the same calendar year. Furthermore, the figures for cases reported to the RMP may include some incidents which have been reported for information purposes only, which are within the jurisdiction of the civilian police to investigate.  Rape statistics are offences and attempted offences as defined by Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Sexual Assault statistics are offences and attempted offences as defined by Section 2 and 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 (Assault by Penetration and Sexual Assault). The RMP refer cases to both the SPA and a Commanding Officer (CO). All offences under Section 1 and 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 are referred directly to the SPA. Offences under Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 are referred to a CO. The table above does not include referrals to the CO. Domestic violence is not a crime classification, but may be recorded under the crime classification of violence, for example, assault, battery or grievous bodily harm. For the RMP to establish which offences are as a result of domestic violence would require an individual review of all cases, which could be provided only at disproportionate cost. SPA figures for Domestic Violence are only available from 2010 when the SPA started to record Domestic Violence as a separate offence. These are not designated Official Defence Statistics.

Department for Work and Pensions

Work Programme

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department sets targets related to the closing of benefit claims of people referred to the work programme.

Priti Patel: There are no targets set for providers in relation to the closing of benefit claims, though for a job to be eligible for outcome payments, providers must support people into enough work to take them off out-of-work benefits.

Employment Schemes: Young People

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Government has contributed to the Your first EURES job scheme; how many vacancies have been filled under that scheme in the UK since 2012; and how many UK workers have found work in the EU under that scheme.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The UK Government has not contributed any financial resources to the Your First EURES Job project. As this project is led by the EU Commission, the UK Government does not collect or hold information relating to the number of EU job seekers that have found jobs in the UK, or the number of UK jobseekers that have found work elsewhere in the EU through Your First EURES Job.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many employees of his Department are employed to investigate benefit fraud; what the estimated cost to the taxpayer is of such fraud; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel: As of March 2016, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employed around 3,765 staff involved in work relating to investigation of benefit fraud and error. The information requested on the estimated cost to the taxpayer is published and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fraud-and-error-in-the-benefit-system

Department for Work and Pensions: Civil Proceedings

Ms Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse has been of legal proceedings against his Department since 2010.

Justin Tomlinson: Providing the requested information can only be done at the disproportionate cost threshold.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Common Agricultural Policy

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the costs of administering the Common Agricultural Policy in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the costs of administering the English Rural Development Programme in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.

George Eustice: The Common Agricultural Policy is a devolved policy and Defra is responsible for its delivery in England. Decisions relating to the implementation of the CAP are integrated into numerous policy areas within the department and the delivery of the CAP is carried out primarily by the Rural Payments Agency, Natural England, and the Forestry Commission, alongside other business. This arrangement allows the various objectives of the CAP to be delivered effectively. However, this integrated approach to delivery also makes it difficult to calculate the total annual cost of the CAP in isolation. This is something that was identified by the National Audit Office in its recent report ‘Early Development of the CAP Delivery Programme’, and Defra is currently considering how to respond to this recommendation.

Waste Disposal

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of the flushability tests used by manufacturers of disposable wipes.

Rory Stewart: Sewer blockages can be a serious problem, and sewer flooding can cause great distress to householders. We support the work that the industry is taking forward to reduce the number of blockages. Water UK, the representative body for the UK water and sewerage industry, has led on development of a voluntary test that sanitary manufacturers can use to establish whether or not their product is truly flushable.

Business: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons the Environment Agency ended its support for the Climate Local programme; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of this decision on the ability of local authorities to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation with local authorities her Department carried out before the decision was taken to discontinue Government funding to the Climate Local programme.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support her Department plans to make available to local authorities to take action on climate change after the closure of the Climate Local programme.

Rory Stewart: Climate Local is a Local Government Association initiative which was in part supported by the Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service. The Climate Ready Support Service was initiated as a time-limited programme and came to an end in March this year. It is for the Local Government Association and the members of Climate Local to determine its further activities. Adaptation is integrated throughout the work of all Government departments who continue to deliver, alongside local Government and many other organisations, their commitments set out in the National Adaptation Programme.

Business: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons the Environment Agency's Climate Ready Support Service has ended; and when the decision to end that service was made.

Rory Stewart: The Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service was originally envisaged as a three year programme that was extended to a fourth year in March 2015. This enabled completion of the majority of National Adaptation Programme actions to which the service was contributing. The remaining ongoing actions are continuing without the need for the designated service. Adaptation is integrated throughout the work of all Government departments who continue to deliver, alongside local Government and many other organisations, their commitments set out in the National Adaptation Programme.

Business: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what climate change adaptation support her Department plans to make available to businesses after the closure of the Climate Ready Support Service.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on (a) the National Adaptation Programme and (b) businesses and organisations' climate change resilience of the withdrawal of the Climate Ready Support Service.

Rory Stewart: The first National Adaptation Programme sets out more than 370 actions to help the UK better prepare for climate change - we continue to deliver on these actions and make sure adaptation is integrated across government policy making. We will carefully review how we work with business and industry as part of the preparations for the next National Adaptation Programme report which is due around 2018. The Environment Agency continues to play an important role in helping businesses adapt to climate change, in particular as part of its core role on flooding, coastal risks, water management, freshwater habitats, and as a statutory adviser in the land-use planning system. In addition, the Environment Agency will continue to provide advice to businesses and other organisations on using the UK climate projections and it will continue to contribute to a range of stakeholder groups. Over 70 online tools developed by the Climate Ready Support Service are still available for use by businesses.

Home Office

Money Laundering: EU Law

Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of its senior civil servants who will potentially fall under the provisions of the 4th EU Money Laundering Directive, 2015/849; and what assessment she has made of which of her Department's agencies or other public bodies will potentially be classed as holding a prominent public function for the purposes of that directive.

Mr John Hayes: Holding answer received on 21 March 2016



Under the Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive (4AMLD), which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, a politically exposed person is one who has been entrusted with a prominent public function domestically or by a foreign country. This would include some senior civil servants. The Government will be setting out its view in a consultation which will be published shortly.The changes proposed under 4AMLD must not prevent any individual in this category from gaining or maintaining access to financial services. The Home Office and Treasury regularly raise these issues with financial institutions and the regulator, and we encourage financial institutions to take a proportionate risk-based approach when applying these measures.To that end, following the Adjournment Debate on 20 January 2016 on this issue, along with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury I have recently met representatives of the banking sector to make clear concerns. The banks now clearly understand the importance of this issue and a way forward has been agreed. Should further problems arise we will re-emphasise what we expect.

Immigrants: English Language

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to caseworkers on handling applications from international students to study at UK colleges and universities in a way that ensures the applicants are not disadvantaged by accusation of fraud in English language tests made by ETS.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 13 April 2016



UK Visas and Immigration caseworkers were issued with guidance on how to handle applications made by international students who had taken ETS English language tests in February 2014. This guidance has been updated as required. This is part of the reasonable and proportionate action we have taken in response to the clear evidence provided by ETS to identify those who had sought to profit from abuse of the English language testing system. The guidance does not disadvantage students who obtained an ETS test certificate properly, but ensures that due scrutiny is being applied by caseworkers where individuals have been identified as having obtained invalid test certificates.We received the determination in the case of Qadir and SM from the Upper Tribunal on 8 April, providing full reasons for the summary decision handed down on 23 March. Although the Upper Tribunal found that the Home Office did discharge the evidential burden on it in establishing fraud at ETS test centres and that each appellant would need to establish an innocent explanation, it went on to allow the appeals. We are disappointed by the decision and we are currently reviewing it with a view to challenging before the Court of Appeal. Given this, there are no current plans to issue further updated guidance to caseworkers following the recent Upper Tribunal determination.

Horst Kopkow

Mr Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which of the security service files in the series KV2/1500 held in the National Archives on SS Sturmbannführer Kriminaldirektor Horst Kopkow are closed; and for what reasons such files are closed.

Mr John Hayes: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Marriage: Children

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what legislative provisions there are to prevent the husband of a child bride bringing that bride into the UK.

James Brokenshire: Under the family Immigration Rules both an applicant for a spouse visa and their sponsor must be aged 18 or over.

Marriage: Children

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the Government's policy is on the prosecution of husbands of child brides resident in the UK, who married that bride outside of the UK.

Karen Bradley: We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. The offence relates to where a UK resident or national forces a child into marriage overseas as well as in the UK.Our dedicated Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leads efforts to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad. Where cases involve a minor in the UK, the FMU work with the relevant statutory agencies to provide advice and expertise to ensure that appropriate safeguarding measures are taken. Where a case involves a minor overseas, the FMU work with consular officers overseas and statutory agencies in the UK to ensure safeguarding obligations are fulfilled and appropriate action is taken where necessary.

HM Treasury

New Businesses

Kevin Brennan: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of businesses that have registered for (a) VAT and (b) PAYE in each region and nation of the UK between 2010 and 2014.

Mr David Gauke: The Office for National Statistics publishes a breakdown of the number of businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE by region:https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/ukbusinessactivitysizeandlocation/2015-10-06#business-counts-by-uk-region Previous releases of this publication including data from 2010 onwards can be found here:https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/ukbusinessactivitysizeandlocation/previousReleases

Council Housing: House Contents Insurance

Julie Cooper: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will offer tax relief on home insurance payments for occupants of council housing.

Mr David Gauke: The Government’s preferred policy is to take people out of tax through higher personal allowances, and to lower tax rates when it is affordable to do so. The Government has already pledged to raise the personal allowance to £12,500 by the end of this parliament.

Sugar: Taxation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he assessed the levels of consumption by children of drinks products affected by the sugar levy.

Mr David Gauke: The evidence about children’s consumption of soft drinks comes from the Public Health England report ‘Sugar reduction: the evidence for action’ published in October 2015.

Sugar: Taxation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason exemptions were granted from the sugar levy for 100 per cent fruit juice and milk; and if he will publish the evidence on which that decision was taken.

Mr David Gauke: Pure fruit juices and milk-based drinks have other health benefits and we do not want to discourage their consumption. Pure fruit juices are part of the 5-a-day message and have intrinsic nutrients such as containing certain vitamins. Milk and milk-products are a good source of protein and calcium, which have health benefits such as aiding bone formation. The government wants to encourage the consumption of milk to help children consume the required amounts of these nutrients.

Small Businesses: Taxation

Roger Mullin: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the productivity of small and medium-sized businesses of the planned withdrawal of HM Revenue and Customs' evaluation check services.

Mr David Gauke: No impact on UK productivity is anticipated. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has not withdrawn valuation services that are most relevant to small and medium sized enterprises including Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI), Company Share Option Plans (CSOP), Save As You Earn share option schemes (SAYE), Share Incentive Plans (SIP) and Employee Shareholder Status (ESS). HMRC has, however, announced a review of the valuation services for those schemes and is consulting interested parties. HMRC has withdrawn valuation checks for income tax and PAYE that are not part of these recognized employee ownership schemes. Most people submitted acceptable valuations and therefore the valuation service was not seen as needed.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether revenue raised from the planned soft drink industry levy will be hypothecated for the public health budget.

Mr David Gauke: In England, revenue from the soft drinks industry levy will be used to double the PE and sport premium for primary schools, expand school breakfast clubs and support more secondary schools to offer a longer school day, including more sport. The Barnett formula will be applied to spending on these new initiatives in the normal way.

Soft Drinks: Taxation

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 34 of the report, Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, published on 16 March 2016, which producers will be exempt from the soft drinks industry levy.

Mr David Gauke: The levy will not apply to small operators under a certain volume threshold. We will consult on the level of the threshold and whether and how to apply a tapered relief.

Energy: Tax Allowances

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.19 of the Treasury report entitled, Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, published on 16 March 2016, what impact assessment has been undertaken on which technologies will be added or removed from the list of qualifying technologies for the first-year allowance scheme for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial technologies.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.19 of the report, Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, published on 16 March 2016, which technologies his Department is considering (a) adding and (b) removing from the list of qualifying technologies for the first-year allowance scheme for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial technologies.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.19 of the report, Overview of Tax Legislation and Rates, published on 16 March 2016, what consultation with industry his Department undertook when considering which technologies will be added or removed from the list of qualifying technologies for the first-year allowance scheme for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial technologies.

Damian Hinds: At Budget 2016, the Government announced changes to 100 percent enhanced capital allowances for energy-saving and environmentally-beneficial (water-efficient) technologies. Each autumn, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) consult manufacturers and suppliers. DECC and Defra then recommend to Treasury Ministers updates to the schemes. Details of the changes will be set out in Treasury Order 2001/2541 for energy and 2003/2076 for water in the next few months. As is routine, an impact assessment will be published alongside the Order.

Revenue and Customs: Scotland

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to hold a public consultation on the proposed closures of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Scotland.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with local businesses in Cumbernauld on the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to conduct an impact assessment on the local economy of Cumbernauld of the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with (a) employees and (b) PCS representatives at HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office on the proposed relocation of staff.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with people in Cumbernauld on the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new Regional Centres in Scotland, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 employees. HMRC’s new Regional Centres will give its staff all they need including a modern office environment, close to good travel and transport links. They will provide stable, high quality jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for training and promotion and allow its staff to follow more varied career paths than have previously been possible. HMRC will help all its staff work through their options. It will give everyone the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances with their manager ahead of any office closures or moves, so they know about any issues that need to be taken into account when making decisions.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Kevin Hollinrake: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the proposed 36 month stamp duty grace period for people transitioning from one property to another will apply retrospectively.

Mr David Gauke: The Government appreciates that there may be circumstances where an individual sells a property which was a main residence and then experiences a delay before purchasing a new main residence. Where an individual is replacing a main residence, the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax should not apply to the purchase of a new main residence within 36 months of the disposal of a previous main residence. In addition to this, the 36 month time period will commence from 25 November 2015 for those who had sold a previous main residence prior to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, in order to provide additional transitional support.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Royston Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the public purse of the sale of the Government's remaining RBS shares.

Greg Hands: The government conducted an initial sale of RBS shares in August 2015, raising £2.1bn for the taxpayer. The proceeds from sales contribute to reducing UK government debt. Further sales will be conducted subject to market conditions, in order to maximise value for the taxpayer. The returns on the government’s interventions in RBS will be determined by the success of the whole of the selling programme, rather than the terms achieved on the first few disposals.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether a self-contained annex to a house will be assessed separately from the entire residence for the purpose of calculating stamp duty at the point of sale; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke: The Government recognises the concerns raised around the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) treatment of self-contained annexes and agrees that the new higher rates of SDLT should not apply to a purchase of a main residence.The Government is amending the Finance Bill to exempt annexes from the higher rates of SDLT when purchased in the same transaction as a main residence. In this case, the transaction will be treated as only involving one dwelling and SDLT at the standard rates will apply. An annex will be defined via objective criteria. It must be within the grounds of the main home and worth no more than a third of the total transaction value.

Supported Housing

Peter Aldous: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential economic benefits of supported housing; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: The Government is currently conducting an evidence review into supported housing. We expect this review to conclude in the Spring.

Public Private Partnerships

Steve McCabe: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, in how many public private partnerships in (a) the UK and (b) Birmingham the Government is involved as a (i) party to the contract and (ii) statutory actor.

Greg Hands: HM Treasury collects and publishes data on centrally supported PFI and PF2 (the UK Government’s main form of PPPs) projects. The most recent collection recorded projects as at 31st March 2015. This can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2015-summary-data. This publication has the information requested on projects in the UK and Birmingham. HM Treasury does not hold information on ‘statutory actors’ in PFI and PF2 projects, however the published data does show the contracting parties, equity holders and special purpose vehicle responsible for managing the project.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Waste

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what support has been provided by the Government for the growth of the energy-from-waste industry.

Andrea Leadsom: Holding answer received on 13 April 2016



The Government has provided a range of support for energy from waste technologies through the Renewables Obligation (RO), the Renewable Incentive (RHI), the Feed-In Tariff and the Contracts for Difference (CfD). The technologies supported include: Landfill Gas, Sewage Gas, Energy from Waste with CHP, Anaerobic Digestion and Advanced Conversion Technologies. As of the end of 2015, our support has brought forward just over 2.4 GWh of capacity in these technologies, delivering just under 9.4TWh of renewable electricity. The Green Investment Bank (GIB) has provided support to 20 projects using energy from waste technologies. Direct commitments by the Green Investment Bank (GIB) to date total £334m with additional indirect commitments of £130m to Foresight Group LLP through the Foresight-managed Recycling and Waste LP (RAW) fund, in which GIB is a cornerstone investor, and Greensphere Capital LLP which manages the UK Green and Sustainable Waste and Energy Investment Limited Partnership (UKGSWEI) fund on behalf of the GIB.

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11023, whether discussions are ongoing with EDF about proposals for two reactors at Sizewell and Bradwell; and whether she plans to include those propospals in the process for the signing off of the proposed contract for Hinkley Point C.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government routinely speaks to developers about proposed new nuclear projects. There is no commitment in the documentation for Hinkley Point C in relation to the proposed reactors at Sizewell C or Bradwell. The strike price for Hinkley Point C is £92.50/MWh, which if Sizewell goes ahead will be reduced to £89.50/MWh.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the (a) scientific and (b) economic basis was for her Department's proposal to move the cement industry into a 75 per cent tier of free allocation in the EU Emissions Trading System; and what account her Department took in developing that proposal of the difficulty of abating process emissions.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government supports reform to strengthen the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) whilst providing continued support for the competitiveness of British businesses as they decarbonise. Sectors at greatest risk of carbon leakage have high carbon costs and are highly exposed to international trade. The proposed tiering scenarios, which are indicative and do not represent a confirmed Government position, are intended to demonstrate how support could be differentiated between sectors at different levels of risk. We recognise the barriers to decarbonisation in the cement sector due to its high proportion of emissions from chemical processes. We will continue to work with the UK cement industry to ensure that its circumstances are reflected in Phase IV of EU ETS.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what consideration her Department has given to the exclusion of irreducible process emissions in applying the reduction under the EU Emissions Trading System.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government supports the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a market-based approach to achieve least-cost decarbonisation and maintain a level playing field across the EU. The total cap on greenhouse gas emissions in the EU ETS does not discriminate between different sources of emissions. However, the Government recognises the large proportion of process emissions within some industrial sectors, such as cement. We have engaged with the cement and other sector bodies to understand the enablers and barriers to deep decarbonisation, including through the joint industry-Government decarbonisation roadmaps. The Government supports the proposal that the EU ETS, in future will provide funding for innovation and demonstration projects to overcome technological barriers to long-term emission reduction by industry.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what account she took of her Department's Industrial Decarbonisation Roadmap for the cement industry in bringing forward proposals with France for tiering under the next phase of the EU Emissions Trading System.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government supports the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) as a market-based approach to achieve least-cost decarbonisation and maintain a level playing field across the EU. A tiered approach to free allocation of EU ETS allowances targets the available allowances to the sectors that need them most and provides greater certainty for sectors about their allocation, reducing risk and boosting investor confidence. In determining the impact of different tiered scenarios, the Government took account of the decarbonisation roadmap, which considered the wider policy context and technological barriers to decarbonisation and innovation. The proposed tiering scenarios are indicative and do not represent a confirmed Government position.

Shipping: Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with the Department for Transport on the proposal to the International Maritime Organisation to develop a work plan to define the shipping industry's fair share in reducing its greenhouse gas emissions ahead of the meeting on 18 to 22 April 2016.

Andrea Leadsom: All countries agreed in Paris in December to limit global temperature increases to well below 2°C, and to pursue efforts towards 1.5°C. Action on international shipping will be an important part of this. The international nature of shipping emissions means that the best place to reach a credible solution is at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Negotiations on how the global shipping sector can contribute to Paris goals are at an early stage. The Department for Transport leads on these negotiations for the UK. The Department of Energy and Climate Change will continue to support the Department for Transport on this issue.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her most recent estimate is of the total cost to the public purse of the Hinkley Point C project.

Andrea Leadsom: The Department for Energy and Climate Change has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent discussions she has had with the French government and EDF on whether there will be changes to the timetable for the development of Hinkley Point C.

Andrea Leadsom: We are in close contact with EDF and the French Government regarding the Hinkley Point C project. EDF are confident that the plant will begin generating electricity in 2025.

Electricity Generation

Ms Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of the Intergenerational Foundation in its research report, Toxic time capsule, published in April 2016, on the relative costs to the public purse and generating capacity of solar power, wind power and the Hinkley Point C project.

Andrea Leadsom: We do not recognise the figures presented in the report for the Intergenerational Foundation. Hinkley Point C is a good deal for consumers and, once operational will provide 60 years of secure, reliable and low-carbon electricity. This will help us to keep the lights on while meeting our emissions targets in the most cost-effective way.My Rt. hon friend, The Secretary of State is minded to proceed with the CfD support package for Hinkley Point C, subject to EDF taking a final investment decision.

Renewable Energy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to ensure that (a) there is investment in UK renewable energy projects and (b) the UK meets its renewable energy targets.

Andrea Leadsom: We have announced our intention to hold three further Contract For Difference allocation rounds in this Parliament. At Budget 2016, we announced the budget for these allocation rounds. Applicants in the first allocation round will compete for £290m of annual support, which is being made available from 2021/22 onwards. Over the 3 rounds we are planning to allocate £730m of annual support. We will announce further details in relation to the next allocation round, as soon as possible . More details of future rounds will follow in due course. Our estimates show that we are on track to deliver 35% of the UK’s electricity from renewables in 2020/21, exceeding our ambition of 30%. We have announced the Renewable Heat Incentive budget will continue to March 2021 when it will reach £1.15 billion and Department for Transport will be consulting, later this year, on meeting the transport fuel sub-target of 10%.

Cabinet Office

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure charities in receipt of public funds do not express a view on the forthcoming European Union Referendum.

Royston Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure institutions and organisations in receipt of public funds do not express a corporate opinion on the forthcoming EU referendum.

John Penrose: The rules on campaigning at the referendum are set out in the European Union Referendum Act 2015 and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. There is no general restriction on institutions and organisations in receipt of public funds expressing a corporate opinion on the European Union Referendum. However, there are restrictions on organisations whose expenses are met wholly or mainly from public funds publishing certain material relating to the referendum in the final 28 days.As the independent regulator for charities in England and Wales, the Charity Commission published guidance for charities on 7 March 2016 regarding the forthcoming EU referendum. This clearly sets out the threshold necessary to justify any charitable activity on this specific issue.

Prison Service: Scotland

Ian Blackford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to transfer responsibility for Scottish prison officers' pensions to the Scottish Government.

Matthew Hancock: Prison Officers employed in the Scottish Prison Service are members of the Civil Service. Under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 the Civil Service is a reserved matter and legislation on pensions and compensation is a matter for Parliament at Westminster.

Electoral Register: Northern Ireland

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to replicate the Northern Ireland electoral registration/schools initiative before the May 2016 elections and EU referendum.

John Penrose: EROs are already free to work with local schools and colleges in their area and many already do. In addition the Cabinet Office has published a collection of free learning resources aimed at engaging young people in the democratic process. This includes Rock Enrol! which can be used in an educational setting and provides an opportunity for participants to register to vote. The N.I.registration is different from the rest of the UK, so the schools initiative might would not necessarily translate easily across.

Immigrants: EEA Nationals

Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many nationals of other EEA member states migrated to the UK with dependants of school age in the last 12 months; and how many school-aged dependants of nationals of other EEA member states live in the UK.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - EEA Member Nationals
(PDF Document, 65.13 KB)

Electoral Register

Grahame Morris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has (a) received and (b) made on the introduction or piloting of a system of automatic  electoral registration.

John Penrose: I have considered a range of proposals from local authorities and civil society organisations that could change how registration is currently delivered. The Government is committed to further modernising and improving electoral registration, building on the successful transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER). We are keen to explore further possibilities in this area but are concerned there may be tension between some forms of automatic registration and the principles underpinning IER, namely individual responsibility and ownership over registering to vote.

Employment: Disability

Julie Cooper: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many disabled people joined the workforce in each sector in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Letter to Member - Disabled People Workforce
(PDF Document, 154.86 KB)

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the weight is of the Government's EU referendum leaflet; and what the rate of postage is for each such leaflet.

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Government responds to the public desire for EU facts published on 6 April 2016, how much the Government plans to spend on providing further public information on the EU referendum.

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Government responds to the public desire for EU facts published on 6 April 2016, what proportion and how much of the £2,894,064 will be spent on digital promotion and a website as part of the EU referendum campaign; and whether the website eureferendum.gov.uk will be removed from the internet during the period in which section 125 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 applies.

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) has been spent and (b) is planned to be spent on the printing of the Government's EU referendum leaflet.

Mr Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials worked on the content, design and production of (a) the Government's EU referendum leaflet, (b) the eureferendum.gov.uk website and (c) pro-EU advertising commissioned by the Government; how many man-hours such work represented; if he will estimate the costs of their work; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: The Government published details of the cost of the production and delivery of this public information leaflet on 6th April. It is not possible to provide a further breakdown of these figures, as this would compromise the commercial confidentiality of Royal Mail and the relevant printers.The Government has confirmed that a budget of £2.894,064m has been allocated for digital promotion and the operation of the EUreferendum.gov.uk website. This will be a key means through which the public can access factual information on the Referendum question.It is important to ensure that the public continue to have access to factual information throughout the Referendum campaign. The Government has been clear that it will comply fully with the statutory restrictions in place during the 28 day period from 27th May 2016. No new content will be added to the EUreferendum.gov.uk website during this period.Work on the leaflet and the website was taken forward by Cabinet Office and No 10 staff, as part of their on-going responsibilities and it is not possible to separate out the cost without incurring disproportionate cost.

Public Consultation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the (a) UK and (b) EU recommended minimum time is for government consultations.

Mr Oliver Letwin: The government published a revised set of government consultation principles in January 2016. These principles give clear guidance to government departments on conducting consultations. The consultation principles state that consultations should last for a proportionate amount of time, and that officials should judge the length of the consultation on the basis of legal advice and taking into account the nature and impact of the proposal. Information is not held on EU consultation recommendations.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release, Government response to public desire for EU facts, published on 6 April 2016, how much and in what areas the Government has spent on the production of its leaflet on the EU referendum; and from which departmental budget that funding has been obtained.

Mr Douglas Carswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release, Government response to public desire for EU facts, published on 6 April 2016, whether the Government plans to complete the delivery of the leaflets on the EU referendum and remove the website, eureferendum.gov.uk, prior to the start of the purdah period related to that referendum on 27 May 2016.

John Penrose: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 14 April 2016, to the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex.All leaflets will be delivered in advance of the 28 day restricted period, beginning on 27 May 2016. The costs of the leaflet will be met from the Cabinet Office budget.

Cabinet Office: Corporate Hospitality

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many events hosted by newspaper proprietors (a) the Prime Minister has and (b) members of the Cabinet have attended in each of the last three years.

Matthew Hancock: Details of Ministerial meetings with proprietors, editors and media executives are published routinely, and can be found on Gov.uk.

Boris Johnson

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip is paid in his capacity as a Minister attending Cabinet.

Matthew Hancock: The hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip is not a Minister attending Cabinet, but attends political cabinet meetings. He is not paid a Ministerial Salary.

Department of Health

HIV Infection: Drugs

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding he plans to provide to local authorities for the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Jane Ellison: NHS England has announced that it will make available up to £2 million in 2016/17 and 2017/18 for early implementer test sites for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This funding will be made available to successful applications from local authorities.These will run over the next two years and will aim to test the ‘real life’ cost effectiveness and affordability of PrEP as part of an integrated HIV and sexually transmitted infection prevention service.NHS England, Public Health England and the Department will consider the relevant findings from the test sites to inform their respective commissioning responsibilities for HIV care and treatment and HIV prevention.

Mental Health Services

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce variations in mental health spending and services between clinical commissioning groups.

Alistair Burt: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning non-specialised mental health services to meet the needs of their local communities. NHS England has made the requirement of CCGs through the planning guidance document, Delivering the Forward View: NHS Planning Guidance 2016/17 to 2020/21 (December 2015), that they should increase their spending on mental health each year at least in line with the growth in their overall funding allocation.

General Practitioners: Southampton

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is per patient attending a GP's surgery in Southampton.

Alistair Burt: The requested information is not collected.NHS England advises that general practitioners (GPs) are funded per head of population to deliver GP medical services. The Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be commissioning primary care on behalf of NHS England from 1 April 2016 and NHS England confirms across the CCG’s forecast population this funding is £124 per head of population.

NHS Property Services

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the structure is of NHS Property Services and to whom they report.

George Freeman: NHS Property Services is a limited company, registered at Companies House, and 100% owned by the Secretary of State for Health, to whom it is accountable. It is governed by a company Board consisting of a Chair, Chief Executive and an appropriate mix of executive and non-executive directors, including a Departmental ‘shareholder representative’ director.

Contraceptives

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to make oral contraceptive pills available without a doctor's prescription.

George Freeman: The Government has no plans to make oral contraceptive pills available without a prescription.Any applications to reclassify specific products from prescription only to non-prescription supply would be considered in accordance with its usual procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Health Authorities

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to change the (a) role of, (b) responsibilities of and (c) funding allocated to strategic health authorities.

George Freeman: Strategic health authorities were abolished in 2013 by the National Health Service Act 2006 (as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012). Since then NHS England and clinical commissioning groups have taken on responsibility for NHS planning and delivery.

Pregnancy: Screening

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of introducing non-invasive prenatal testing on the prevalence of sex-selective abortions.

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the number of abortions related to disability of the introduction of non-invasive prenatal testing.

Ben Gummer: The UK National Screening Committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy has conducted a full review of the published scientific and cost evidence relating to Non-Invasive Pre-Natal Testing (NIPT) as a screening test for Down’s, Edwards’ and Patau’s syndromes. On 15 January 2016, the Committee announced its recommendation that NIPT should be introduced as an additional test into NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme as part of an evaluation. This is because the evidence suggests that NIPT is much more accurate than the current testing used in screening and can substantially reduce the number of pregnant women needing an invasive test, which carries a high risk of miscarriage. Ministers are currently considering this recommendation. The possible introduction of NIPT into the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme does not fundamentally alter the choices presented to prospective parents, or the options and choices available when testing identifies a feotus with a syndrome. Therefore, no assessment has been made of the impact of NIPT on the number of abortions. NIPT testing as part of the NHS Foetal Anomaly Screening Programme will not be used to determine the sex of the foetus. Abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total cost to the public purse has been of establishing the Sustainability and Transformation Plan Footprints Leadership Teams.

George Freeman: The Department does not hold this information centrally.However, as far as NHS England is aware, in the overwhelming majority of cases, leaders are not being paid over and above the remuneration they receive for their existing roles. Many Sustainability and Transformation Plans are supported by local programme teams which are funded by the constituent local organisations.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the posts of NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan Footprints Leaders are remunerated; and how long appointments to those posts are for.

George Freeman: Being a Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) leader is a voluntary, non-statutory role. As far as NHS England is aware, in the overwhelming majority of cases, leaders are not being paid over and above the remuneration they receive for their existing roles. The role of the STP leaders is to support the development of STPs which are expected to be submitted in July 2016.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether appointments to the posts of NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan Footprint Leaders were subject to open selection.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the recruitment process was for the appointment of NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan Footprint Leaders; and what criteria were used to appoint to those posts.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, who was responsible for appointing the NHS Sustainability and Transformation Plan Footprint Leaders.

George Freeman: Sustainability and Transformation Plan areas have been determined by local health and care services coming together in ways that make sense for their local areas, in order to transform the way that health and care is planned and delivered for their populations.Following local discussions about who is best placed to play the role of footprint leaders, together with discussions with national bodies, 41 of the 44 planning areas have identified and agreed leaders.They are mostly a mix of trust chief executive officers, clinical commissioning group leaders and local government executives.

Department of Health: Redundancy

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of the officials of his Department he expects to be made redundant by the end of 2016.

Jane Ellison: The Department has begun its DH2020 programme which, amongst other things, aims to reduce the size of the Department by about one third over the course of this parliament. As a result the Department is anticipating moving from around 2,000 roles to around 1,300-1,400 over this time period.To deliver the reductions, the Department will offer Voluntary Exits and a three month redeployment period for displaced staff, prior to moving to Voluntary Redundancy and Compulsory Redundancy, if necessary. Taking this into account, numbers of redundancies are expected to be lower than the headline numbers given above.

Nurses: Migrant Workers

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the reliance of health services on the recruitment of overseas nurses.

Ben Gummer: We remain committed to moving forwards towards a self-sustaining workforce and to reduce the demand for migrant labour, including nurses. In addition to increasing the number of nurses training places, Health Education England are investing almost £5 million in the Return to Practice programme, aimed at encouraging and supporting nurses who are no longer working to gain relevant training to return to work. We are also providing £40 million in leadership training to create a new generation of senior nurses and ensuring preceptorship is available to support newly qualified nurses in their first year of working.

Nurses: Recruitment

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of new entrants to nursing over the next five years.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional nurses who will be required in the health and care sectors over the next five years.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many UK applicants were rejected for a training place for new entrants to nursing in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer: Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for workforce planning in the National Health Service and their recently published HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts an additional supply of 40,000 nurses by 2020. Moving new nursing students on to the student loans system in August 2017 will allow universities to offer up to a further 10,000 nursing, midwifery and allied health degree places by 2020/21.The HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts demands for additional nurses and midwives in the health and care sector in the next five years will rise by around 16,800.The Department does not collect data on the numbers of applicants who were not successful in gaining a nurse training place.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the period will be for a decision to be made on applications to the Primary Care Trust Fund.

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the decision making process will be for the allocation of funding to (a) premises and (b) IT services related to applications to the Primary Care Trust Fund.

Mr Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the criteria is for (a) premises and (b) IT services related to applications to the Primary Care Trust Fund.

Alistair Burt: NHS England will publish further guidance about the Primary Care Transformation Fund later this month.

Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs: Rehabilitation

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the concluding evaluation of the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Payment-by-Results pilot programme will be published.

George Freeman: Publication by the University of Manchester of the final report on the evaluation of the drug and alcohol recovery payment by results pilots programme is expected this summer following completion of an independent peer review process.

Health Services: EU Nationals

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether EU member states from which the UK recoups the costs of treatment provided to EU nationals by the NHS pay the full amount requested of them by the UK.

Alistair Burt: All European Economic Area countries, including the United Kingdom, have a legal obligation to pay agreed claims relating to healthcare treatment provided. Once both sides are satisfied that such claims are accurate, they are paid in full.

General Practitioners: Finance

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of the NHS budget has been allocated to GP surgeries in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Alistair Burt: The table below shows the proportion of spend on general practice for each of the last 10 years for which data is available. The figures for spend on general practice are taken from the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s Investment in General Practice reports, which is the most comprehensive source of data on investment in general practice. The NHS Revenue Expenditure data is taken from the Department’s accounts.YearNHS Revenue Expenditure under Clear Line of Sight Rules (£ billion)Spend on general practice (£ billion)Spend on general practice as a proportion of total2005/0674.177.74710.4%2006/0778.477.7579.9%2007/0881.227.8679.7%2008/0987.627.9619.1%2009/1094.428.3218.8%2010/1197.478.3508.6%2011/12100.278.3978.4%2012/13102.578.4598.2%2013/14106.58.7668.2%2014/15110.569.0018.1%

Eyesight: Health Services

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to address (a) demand for eye clinic appointments and the (b) hospital eye services.

Alistair Burt: Clinical commissioning groups are able to commission eye care services over and above the sight test where they judge them to be needed in their areas.This could include post cataract surgery reviews, glaucoma monitoring and low vision services which may reduce pressure on hospital eye departments, reduce waiting times and make patient care pathways more accessible in the community.There is scope for further work to be done by community optometrists and the Clinical Council for eye health commissioning is working with commissioners to develop commissioning guidelines in this area.

Brain: Research

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the future of the Corsellis Brain Collection at the West London Mental Health NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse has been of storing, maintaining and facilitating research access to the Corsellis Brain Collection in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman: The excess costs of maintaining the collection compared with the income from specimen preparation over a number of years have rendered the collection unsustainable as a research resource. West London Mental Health Trust has therefore decided - once it has responded to current requests for samples - to respectfully dispose of those tissue samples for which no scientific purpose can be envisaged. Some tissue has also been requested by the University of Hong Kong for training purposes for their neuropathology students, which the Trust is providing as a more appropriate use of such clinical material than respectful disposal. The Trust has obtained the appropriate Human Tissue Authority licenses for this work. We understand that the collection will close by the end of June 2016.   The Trust has provided figures for each of the three years to 2014/15. In each case the cost has been borne by the Trust, offset (to a relatively small extent) by fees received for tissue sample requests and - in 2014/15 - by a donation. The figures are shown in the following table. Financial YearCostIncomeDonation2012/13£101,126NilNil2013/14£84,561£7,016Nil2014/15£80,684£1,003£69,316 The Medical Research Council supports a range of brain tissue banks which have been set-up around specific disorders and diseases generally to collect post-mortem brain tissue from consented donors.

Professional Organisations: Databases

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with professional bodies on the provisions in the Investigatory Powers Bill relating to bulk personal datasets.

George Freeman: Whilst the Department has not conducted any specific engagement on these provisions, the Government has consulted extensively on the development of the Investigatory Powers Bill, including the provisions relating to the additional safeguards for the security and intelligence agencies’ retention and use of bulk personal datasets.The draft Bill, published last November, built on the three independent reviews on investigatory powers by David Anderson QC, the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC), and the Independent Surveillance Panel convened by the Royal United Services Institute. The draft Bill was then subject to Parliamentary scrutiny by a dedicated Joint Committee, the ISC and the Science and Technology Select Committee. The Government has had over 60 meetings and briefings with industry representatives, academics, civil liberties groups, and charities and victims groups since the draft Bill was published in November.

Information Governance in the Health and Care System Review

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to take questions from the (a) press and (b) public when he launches his Department's public consultation following publication of the Caldicott review.

George Freeman: The Government is currently considering the findings and recommendations of the reviews undertaken by the Care Quality Commission and Dame Fiona Caldicott, ahead of these reports being published. The scope of any supporting consultation exercise is yet to be determined.

Women and Equalities

Education: Equality

Karl McCartney: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government plans to take to ensure equality of educational attainment between boys and girls at all key stages.

Nick Gibb: Our goal is to deliver educational excellence everywhere, so that every child and young person can achieve to the best of his or her ability. Girls’ key stage 2 results are better than ever and their entries to mathematics and science A levels have increased by more than 12,000 since 2010. We continue to consider what more needs to be done to support equality in educational attainment, in particular the justified concerns about white working class boys.